Equipment Corner

Meat Thermometer:

One of the best investments you can make for your kitchen is a meat-thermometer. No more poking at your steak contemplating “Is it done?” while it’s becoming a leather shoe. For beef, it’s particularly useful for thicker steaks or big roasts. This is even a game-changer for all kinds of meat (poultry, pork, lamb), baking (you can actually take the internal temperature of a cake!), and lots of other fun projects (yogurt or cheese making where you need the milk to hit a certain temperature). 

My Favorites:

• ThermoPro TP-03 Digital Meat Thermometer: Budget-friendly, I use this for all my meats and to make yogurt.
• Thermapen ONE: The Rolls-Royce of meat thermometers. Highly rated, but definitely more expensive. 
• Both of these brands also make temperature probes so you can monitor the temperature of your meat inside an oven, smoker, or grill without having to open it up. Some have bluetooth features where you can get updates on your phone!

Cast-Iron Pans:

My go-to pan for cooking steaks, burgers, meatballs, or anything I want a good sear on is my cast iron skillet. I love their versatility, especially as you can start a dish on the stove and then transfer it to the oven without changing pans.  Cast iron cookware often takes a bit longer to get hot, but they are very good at maintaining an even heat. Get your pan smoking before you throw your steak on.

Cast iron can be intimidating because of the clean-up. But, it's actually very simple: all I do use hot water and a steel wool to clean the surface and then make sure to dry it right away to prevent it from rusting.

My Favorites:

• Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet: Super affordable yet high quality brand, has a lip to it making it good for saucier dishes.
• Lodge 10.5-Inch Cast Iron Griddle: Not as versatile as the skillet since it's flat, but it's much easier to flip burgers on. I even fry eggs on this bad boy!

Dutch Oven:

A dutch oven is an essential tool for all of your braising and stewing dishes. It makes for easy one-pot meals, as you can sear your meat and veggies in it and then pour in your braising liquid without having to transfer between pots. There are lots of options along a wide price spectrum. If you want something that functions well and is very aesthetically pleasing, although pricier, I recommend Staub or Le Creuset. They offer enameled cast iron, which means that you don't have to worry about seasoning the cast iron and  have a wide array of fun colors. There are many options for sizes, I personally have a 5.5 qt Staub Dutch Oven and find it extremely versatile for cooking about 4 servings at once.

My Favorites:

• Staub 5.5 qt Round, Cocette Dutch Oven: I use this at least once a week, often more, especially in the winter aka braising season.  I find the Staub lid fits a bit more snuggly and has these bumps on the inside designed to retain moisture. It also has its signature black matte finish on the inside.
• Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven: Pretty much the same as above, just a few different stylings. The differences in function are probably very minor, it's more whichever you think looks nicer :) Le Creuset has a light-colored, smooth interior which does help you keep a better eye on preventing your food from burning compared to Staub.
• Lodge Essential Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: A WAY cheaper alternative than the two listed above. It's going to get the job done just like the other options. You're pretty much paying for the brand name on the first two, but I do think there's a slight quality difference.